Caita
The fantasy of survival, defeat, and love. This is Caita. She lives in in the land of Phoenixes, shapeshifters, winged horses and wolves, and a deep, indescribable magic, deep within the world. She herself is a shapeshifter, capable af amazing forms, but almost never her human form. Hardly ever is she seen in her land. The people and creatures there almost think of her as a myth. But no, my friend, Caita is not a myth. This, dear reader, is the story of Caita, and her magic. It is a story of sacrifice, love, death, and most of all, Magic. '' '' Chapter One- Her beginning ''' The first thing I remember was waking up one morning, sunlight streaming through a far window. I was in a small shack, with nothing but a stone fireplace, the bed I was laying on, and a small bookshelf. You probably won't believe this, but I was at least fifteen years old. I suspected that someone, somehow, had removed my memory. This was my first thought. You see, I remembered having a life before, just not what happened in it. I had schooling, and knew how to do arithmetic and how to speak, and having parents. But the parents puzzled me. Who were they? These thoughts ran through my head for quite a while after I woke up. I finally decided to get up to look at the books on the bookshelf. All of them were leather, and were very thick. Wondering what they were, I pulled one off the shelf and flipped it open to a random page. The pages were yellowed and crusty. I read the caption below this picture: I stared for a moment, then decided this must be a book about mythical creatures. I looked at the Pegasus illustration, wondering what it would be like to be a winged horse. I closed my eyes and imagined a beautiful white horse soaring across the sky. What would it be like... I opened my eyes and looked down. The book was sitting on the ground. When did that happen? What was even weirder was that...I looked down, and instead of feet, two hooves stood below me. I tried to scream, but I uttered a single, piercing neigh. What was happening? Suddenly, with a jolt, I realized that I was a shapeshifter. That was one part of my past that I had just remembered. I realized I must uncover my past. And I must stay hidden. Whatever had erased my memory obviously didn't want me to find it out again. But, I was smarter than he thought. Wait, He? I sighed. Another part of the mystery, solved. I carefully pushed open the door of the hut, and found myself in a forest. How did I get here? I shook my head (Correction, mane) and trotted out into the open air. Now, what animal is known well in the forest? I closed my eyes for a second. When I opened them, I looked down to see much more dainty hooves, and skinny brown legs. I was a deer! I swiftly bounded through the trees, following the scent of human life. There must be a town somewhere near. I just had to find it, and then see what was going on. '''Chapter Two- The Town I paused before I reached the outskirts of a small town. I closed my eyes, quickly changing into a scruffy-looking brown dog. I rushed down a cobblestone street, sniffing the air occasionally for signs of humans. But...there wasn't any life. I soon found myself in a large courtyard with a large fountain in the center. I went over to it, but finding it bone dry I started to worry. How long had it been since people were here? I turned around, and noticed I had run right past a wooden stand, obviously where some peasant had been selling goods. It was knocked over and nearly torn completely apart. I whined. What happened here? I turned around again and ran as hard as I could deeper into the small town. I kept coming across a small destruction, like carts on their sides, house doors torn open, and small brick fountains on their sides. I whimpered as I stumbled across a small wooden child's toy. What had done this? I soon knew. I was blindly running, running, and soon I crashed into a wall. Shaking my head, I looked up at it. The once-red bricks were covered in black, and had one deep red splash in the middle. I immediately recognized it as a sign from my past. It meant death to all around it. My ears went down and I nervously crept out of the alley where the wall was. Now I knew. There was some evil out there, that was trying to defeat the world by killing and cruelly destroying. A deep, wild instinct told me I had to find this evil and destroy it. I barked once, twice, in anger. I would find this thing, whatever it was. I suddenly heard footsteps behind me. I whirled around, expecting to find a towering dragon or some other evil creature. But all I saw was a young man, limping, who looked about my age. I narrowed my eyes, then decided against suspicion and pitied him. He must have somehow survived the evil attempt to kill him and his town's inhabitants. He looked at me for a second, then smiled. "You are a shapeshifter, no? And you must have a human form, no?" he asked in a rough, tired voice. I nodded and eyed him carefully. He had matted, brown hair and gold eyes. He was wearing simple clothes, although they were torn and dirty. "Would you come with me? I am traveling to defeat the Darkness, which destroyed my hometown." Tears welled up in his eyes as he spoke. "I will come with you," I said quietly. Something about this man...when he had mentioned the Darkness, a memory flashed in the back of my mind, but I couldn't focus on it directly. All I could do was go with this mysterious stranger, and hope he would take me where I wanted to go. Chapter Three- Another companion We walked on in silence. I really had no idea what to say, really only having been 'alive' for the last few minutes. Yes, sounds weird, I know. The main reason for my silence was because I was trying to figure out more of my past. My thoughts were rudely interrupted by a caw and a screech. I looked up suddenly, wondering if the man I was with had actually done that. He looked as puzzled as I was, though. His eyes drifted upward. I followed his gaze, and saw a black bird soaring high above our heads. A raven, no doubt. As I looked up at it, another memory flickered in the back of my mind. What was it? I nearly screamed (Yowled, actually...I was still in dog form) in frustration. I glared up at the black bird, who was coming down to earth. I squinted at him. Was he coming straight at me...? I let out a shriek as the bird catapulted into me. Tumbling backwards, the thing looked into my face with such an inquisitive look I started laughing (If, you may, can hear a dog laughing). "Merle!" I said joyfully. The bird flapped its wings in joy. Wait a second. Merle? I closed my eyes. More of my memory was coming back. This bird had lived with me as a child...I opened my eyes and shook my head. This bird was mine, whatever I did or did not remember. Merle hopped onto my back as I trotted down the worn trail I was taking through the woods. The man turned and stared us in bewilderment. "Uh...not to be rude...who is that?" He asked quietly. I sneezed. "This is Merle. She's my pet." I said carefully. Merle squawked. I glanced at her. "Okay. Not a pet...an acquaintance. She is my friend, I guess you could say." I told him. "Oh and...I have been wondering...what is your name?" He looked at me sharply. "Asen. I'm not going to mention any of my past, though, or where the name came from." He said. "Okay. Asen..." I said, thinking about it. What had he meant, where it came from? Another memory stirred in my brain, but it seemingly flickered away. I realized that I was shivering. What did it mean? I looked at Asen. His hair was covering his eyes. Chills ran up my spine. I would have to be wary of this man. Chapter Three- Tiger's Fury We traveled for a few weeks without much trouble. I finally decided to be a tiger form for most of the trip, since I had more strength and speed. Asen had to jog to keep up with my fast pace. Merle squacked at him whenever he fell behind. I swiftly dodged rocks, trees and other obstacles. Asen kept hollering at me to stop, but of course, this was the most exhilarating thing I had ever done. I loved speed. I finally skidded to a stop and snarled playfully at Asen, whom was panting as he ran up behind me. I looked at him closely. "You can run faster than that." I told him. He nodded. "I don't normally...run faster." He said the last words quickly, as if taking back what he was going to say. "Well," I said, fluffing myself, "Come on!" With that, I sped ahead, my paws spreading out and propelling me forward. Suddenly, I felt something different in the air. I slowed down, wondering what it was. Asen whizzed past me. "Hurry up!" He yelled back at me. "Wait!" I roared. He didn't slow. Was he leading me into a trap? I suddeny saw a vague shape dart out in front of me. It was a black tiger, unlike me. I growled. This tiger was a male, probably defending his territory. I snarled viciously and told him I just wanted to pass. His red eyes gleamed and he charged. I immediately turned into a vicous, bloodthristy beast, attacking him back. I had soon torn him to shreds and he shrank back into the trees. I looked up, wondering what I had done. What happened? I had let out a part of me that...I never knew was there. In fact, it didn't seem like me at all. Chapter Four- The Mist That evening, we camped under the biggest tree I had ever seen. Well, understatement, the one and only biggest tree ever. Asen began a small fire and was snoozing against a tree. The thought of leaving him crossed my mind. But I decided against it. He said he was helping me, after all. I shivered in the cool breeze. A light mist was coming in as I fell asleep... I awakened in a freezing, thick greenish mist. I jumped up and blindly found my way to Asen. "Asen! Wake up! How are we going to get throught his?" I roared in his face (I was still a tiger). He jumped, looked at me, then shrugged. "It's fine." He said calmly and got up. He had no trouble getting through the strange mist. "Fine?! I can't see where I'm going at all! And I'm a tiger!" I said angrily. "If you'd be a human for once, maybe I could help you." He said. "Fine." I said, and quickly morphed into a girl again. As soon as I opened my eyes, Asen roughly but quickly picked me up in his arms and began walkng. I froze. What was this guy thinking? I squirmed. Because of my embarassment, it was not the most comfortable spot to be. But, before I knew it, I had fallen asleep. I awoke a while later, and the mist was still thick. "I think...I think you can put me down now, Asen. " I said, blushing. He nodded and put me gently down. He grasped my hand, leading me through the mist. I sighed and went with him reluctantly. I felt evil here. We must be entering...the... A terrible vision passed through my mind, sending tremors down to my fingertips. It was a horrid sight. I was in a dark, dripping cave, and it smelled terrible. Evil washed over me like a wave. I shuddered and faced forward. Asen ignored me. Either that, or he didn't notice. But, he soon stopped dead and looked at me. "Look." He pointed a finger ahead of us. My blood turned cold as the mist cleared, revealing... "We...have to go in there?" I asked timidly. He nodded and pointed again. The huge crevice under the mountain was filled with something that looked like the mist we had just passed through. I swallowed and let go of Asen's hand. I took a step towards the narrow bridge. The mountain seemed to growl. Steam sizzled as it came up from the crevice below me. I cowered under the huge shadow. Asen came up next to me. Taking a deep breath, we went in. Chapter Five- Entering the Mouth of Death ''' I shivered as cold mists blew up from the chasm. We were making slow progress across the bridge, Asen in front, me behind. I had decided after a bit to make myself a Siberian Tiger; they are immune to cold, harsh weather. I padded along, watching Asen carefully. He seemed rather relaxed, not nearly as wary as I was. I stared at his back, willing him to say something. After about ten minutes of utter silence -and being much closer to the menacing entrance of the cave- I let out a vicious snarl and jogged past him. He didn't do anything, just looked up and quickened his pace. "What's wrong?" He asked cooly. I didn't even turn my head. I just growled softly, then fell back as it echoed around me. I looked up to realize that I was in the very mouth of the cave. Freezing air ruffled my fur and I shivered, not from the cold, but from the terrible evil that travelled on the wind. Taking a shaky breath, I went inside. My eyes quickly adjusted to the dead blackness all around me. I heard Asen shuffling in behind me, and I angrily waved my tail at him to no avail. We went a bit farher in before I saw a flickering blue torch ahead. It was bobbing wildly, suggesting something was holding it. I squinted into the dark, searching for a face, a body, anything. There wasn't a single breath of a sound. I froze and stared ahead as the torch came to a stop and seemed to hover in midair. Then, before I knew it, it was upon me. The blue flames burned my white fur and singed my whiskers. I roared in a mad fury and dove at the fire. I leapt through empty air. I swept my claws through the air over and over until they snagged on what felt like scales. I dragged my victim closer, only to come face to face with a hideous, smiling profile. It looked like a contorted bird, which had been frozen under snow and ice for decades. I recognized the vile creature from somewhere, but I couldn't place it. My head ached. even through the pain, my eyes gleamed and I turned into a vicious beast. I tore at the bird in a mad fury. Ice was flung in all directions. Even I was turned into a raging ball of ice and blood. Talon against claw, fang against beak, I fought the bird. I could tell it was weakened. I raged harder upon it, tearing the life out of it. My roars never ceased. Ever so slightly I would feel a twinge of something, something that wasn't right. But, no matter, the fight must be won! Suddenly, I felt a hideous blast of magic. It was like nothing I had felt before. My rage melted away, as if it had been controlled all along. The dead ice-bird lay at my feet, the torch having been thrown far away. I couldn't see my new attacker, but I sensed vile magic. The cave then lit up with a sickening white light. And in the light, I spotted Asen, transformed into a terrible beast, his hands hovering over my tiger-body. Black magic poured out of him, blanketing me. I had been tricked! Before I could raise myself to fight, though, a cold, black curtain fell over me. I collapsed, hardly aware of anything around me. I faintly heard Asen saying something... "She will do well. Her rage will be poured out over the lands, destroying everything in her path. We shall use her well, Master." Then everything went black. '''Chapter Six-Caverns I was awakened with cold air rushing over my body. Where was I? Painfully, I sat up. I was in a normal tiger form. I rubbed my forehead, groaning. "Hello? Asen? Merle?" I croaked. Just then I heard a faint caw. "Merle? Merle! Over here!" I yelled as loud as possible. I heard a sudden flutter of wings, and I looked up to see a dark shape hovering over my head. "You have no idea how glad I am to see you! Do you know the way out?" Merle croaked softly, and I got up to follow the black bird. I found myself groping about in a foul-smelling cave of some sort. I clutched a wall and followed it, along with Merle's voice. Eventually, we rounded a turn and I saw a faint light up ahead. I rushed up to it, and soon I crashed out into some bushes. I shrieked and picked a thorn from my forearm. I peered behind me and found myself staring up at a high cliff. I couldn't see anything beyond it. I slowly picked myself up and walked agonizingly slowly away. I finally reached a small stream, which I happily drank out of and washed myself a bit. "Hard going, huh, Merle?" I said after relaxing against a large rock by the water. Merle made a soft hissing sound and suddenly flew away. I watched her black form fly farther and farther away, leaving me to pondr what had happened. Who had Asen been talking to? I had a terrible hunch that he had lured me here on purpose, for the enemy. But who was the enemy? I closed my eyes and thought hard. Somehow, I would remember. I had a very faint recollection of a man, a man who had taken away my memory. My eyes fluttered open. I knew where I had to go. I leapt to my paws and darted off, my strength gained. I slipped around rocks and trees and jumped nimbly over other streams like the one I had rested at. I had remembered a certain character who might be able to help. Her name was Sherna. I felt a slight remorse for going; perhaps she wasn't the best person I could go to, or I had done something wrong connected to her. But I had no choice. Before long, I had reached a heavily wooded area. I lifted my head up and sniffed. This was definetely the place. I took a moment to switch to my original, brown-haired and green-eyed human form and walked forward. A small shack came into sight. Was I sure I wanted to do this? I took a deep breath and proceeded. I approached the wooden door slowly and knocked. I heard a flew loud clangs and metallic clattering from inside and winced. The door flew open, and I jumped. "Come in, come in! What do you need, dearie?" I feminine voice cackled. I sucked in a breath. Sherna was a witch. Chapter Seven-Sherna I took a cautious step into the shack. And there she sat, an old woman, with Merle perched on her arm. "Well? What do you-Caita!" She gasped. I swallowed. What would she know? "I've come to...find help figuring out my past, Sherna. Who am I?" I asked. She chuckled. "A princess, asking help of me?" I gasped. A princess? Of what? "Of life and nature, child." Great. Now she could read my mind. I blew out a breath and looked at her. "You have great magic within you, Caita. Use it to defeat the enemy." Suddenly, she was gone. The shack was gone, the forest...everything. I was on a beach. I didn't recognize it at all. "Where am I?" I mumbled to myself. "Somewhere you're not supposed to be." I heard a rough voice behind me. I whirled and found a man standing there, staring at me. He looked about 60 or 70, and wore a long black cloack that shielded most of his body. Something in my brain triggered, and without thinking, I blasted him with...fire? Whatever it was, the man immediately went up in smoke and disappeared. "You can't get rid of me, Caita." I turned to see him again, this time wearing a blue cloak. I was about to sizzle him again when he started chanting strange words in a different language. I shuddered. What was he doing. I felt my mind going blank. "No!" I screamed suddenly. THIS was the man who had stripped me of my memory! This was the man working for the evil in the world! I raised my hands, and a shower of bright light descended upon his body. He started writhing like a snake, and before I knew it, he had disinegrated completely. "So," I said, wiping my hands off, "That's done with." I froze. My memory was coming back now. She will have power beyond the imagineable. She will defeat all that is evil. Her touch heals. Her love is beautiful. I flexed my hands and sighed. I knew where I had to go. Chapter Eight-Attack I stared up at the black-gray rock of the cave. I had changed into a bird and flown to the cave Asen had originally brought me to. I touched it gingerly and shivered. I carefully stepped nto the mouth of the cave (like, literal mouth) and considered what animal I should change into. "Perhaps a tiger...Caita." I turned and Asen was staring at me. "How did you get here?" I snapped. "Oh. That isn't really any of your buisness." I fumed for a second, then relaxed. Asen was going down. I swallowed and stared him in the eye. He looked back defiantly for a few seconds before crumpling to the ground. "Don't underestimate me. I've regained most of my memory." I said. Asen flinched and looked up, rising. "You won't remeber it all. Because I'm going to kill you first." He sneered. With that, he lunged at me, withdrawing a sword. I backed up slightly before sprouting wings and flying straight up into the air. Asen lunged at my feet, but missed. "A princess of noble lines, a queen of magical heart." I quoted. "Nature shall lend it's power, and magic shall give its power." Asen closed his eyes, shrinking under my words. Retreat, you death-shadow! Retreat! "Mother." I whispered, looking up. Above me, a magnificent winged panther was belching flame and smoke. Asen cried out loudly before dissolving into smoke. I gasped. He was but a shadow, Caita. Now go! Fulfill your destiny! The panther disappeared in a flash. I stared after it, breathing hard. I was a princess, given my rank by the power of the tiger. The rage that had controlled me was my mother's. Her spirit filled me. I opened my eyes and dove fearlessly into the cave. My the winds of light be with you, dearest. Chapter Nine: Shadows As she disappeared in a bright flash, I took a deep breath and looked around me. Slowly, memories start flooding back. I closed my eyes and thought hard. That's it! I could make a portal! As I knelt down and started tracing patterns in the sand with my finger, I thought of where I had to go. Deep inside the cave, I knew that the darkness I must defeat is in waiting. But no doubt it had laid many traps for me on the way, so I'll take the shortcut. I felt cold air blast up into my face as I finished the last curve of the portal in the dirt. I sprung backwards, staring at the bright circle of light. I closed my eyes, and took another form. As I opened my eyes, I felt a small gold amulet around my neck. It matched the color of my gleaming eyes, and as I felt my mother's spirit, I dove into the portal. I found myself flying upwards, towards a high, rocky ceiling. I swooped down and twisted my head to see what was around me. I saw a huge stone throne, with a gigantic swirling black shadow over it. I let out a screech and dove at it. Cold, dark fingers reached out to grab me, suffocate me. I flinched and let golden rays stream from my eyes, driving back the darkness. I felt it shrink back, but it billowed in anger and grew in size. Faintly, I saw a shape within it. A huge creature, a mix between a demonic-looking wolf and a raven. Its all-seeing red eyes pierced my soul like a thorn. The shadows once again reached out to touch me, but I veered away. My wings carried me to a crevice in the cave wall. I sat there, trying to figure out how to destroy this evil. I remembered now, that it had haunted me, for as long as I could remember. My mother and father did all they could to shield me and my magic, but the shadow reached us, killed my father, and removed my memory. I shuddered. How could this thing be defeated? What power could I hold...what could anyone ever hold, that could defeat the ever-looming shadow of evil? To be continued.